Final Rule Draft Published, Affecting Certificated Airports and Hubs with 100,000+ Annual Operations or International Travel

The National Air Transportation Association commented on the release of a final rule draft regarding Safety Management Systems (SMS), approving of the rule as it stands.

The draft will be added to 14 CFR Part 139, and require that "certain airport certificate holders develop, implement, maintain, and adhere to an airport safety management system." The rule will apply to certificated airports that are classified as large, medium, or small hubs; have a 3-year rolling average of 100,000 or more annual operations; or serve any international operation other than general aviation. The rule will "expand the safety benefits of SMS to certain certificated airports and further the FAA's aviation-wide approach to implementation in order to address safety at an organizational level. The NATA spoke favorably on the rule change, seeing the move as a net boon to safety across the country.

“As SMS positively impacts all aviation sectors, NATA supports the FAA’s efforts to enhance safety across the entire aviation ecosystem. The final rule on airport SMS will increase interoperability between ground and air operation safety and risk management processes,” stated NATA President and CEO Curt Castagna. “For decades, NATA has been the industry leader in providing safety advocacy, awareness, and education resources and will continue to explore the benefits of connectivity between airport and operator SMS programs.”

FMI: www.faa.gov